Memorias sobre la guerra de los franceses en España (in Spanish)

 
These memoirs, written by Albert Jean Michel de Rocca in 1814, differ from other texts on the War of Independence written by French soldiers in their incisive tone, curiosity, and respect for the Spanish. Through Rocca's elegant descriptions of the Napoleonic army's struggles in Spain, the reader is presented with both the story of the campaign and acute observations of the country and its inhabitants, during what critics have since described as an “unjust war”. His first-hand analysis of the practices, reactions, causes and consequences of the conflict allows the reader to relive the experiences and reflections of this French cavalry officer who was not content to simply fight and follow orders.
 
Rocca mixes accounts of day-to-day life and concerns – his relationship with the men around him, lack of supplies, the pitched battles, and the constant threat of ambush – with an understanding of the bigger picture, the war's circumstances, and the period itself. Autobiography, travel journal, war narrative interspersed with political reflections, costumbrismo-esque study of local customs and culture; this work allows us to reconsider the concept of “nation” at a time when an entire population rose up in arms. These memoirs on the Spanish campaign are completed by the author's account of the Portuguese campaign.